The auditorium was nearly empty. Just the soft hum of an amp and Luka, alone, sitting on the edge of the stage with his guitar in his lap.
He wasn't playing anything flashy—just quiet chords, the kind that felt like thoughts you didn't know you had yet.
Then... he sang.
"You move like sunlight through static…Smile too bright for the storm you carry.
You speak in echoes, not knowing…Someone's listening quietly."
The words were unpolished.
Adrien, standing halfway behind the curtain, froze.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. He'd come back to grab his forgotten water bottle. But now he couldn't move.
Was that… about him?
Luka strummed a final, quiet chord. His eyes stayed on the strings, unreadable.
Adrien's heart was beating way too fast.
Later that day, rehearsal broke up into chaos again. People split into groups—some working on lines, others practicing blocking.
Adrien drifted toward Luka, awkwardly casual.
"That song earlier," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "It was... really good."
Luka tilted his head. "You heard that?"
"I—I wasn't spying or anything, I just—yeah. Sorry."
Luka smiled faintly. "I didn't mind."
"Was it about someone?"
Luka didn't answer directly. Just looked at him. Calm. Honest. A little too close.
Across the room, Marc watched it all.
His jaw clenched. Nathaniel gently put a hand on his arm, whispering something calming, but Marc shook it off.
Luka looked effortless.
AND
Marc felt invisible.
That night, Ladybug landed silently on a rooftop—drawn there by faint sounds. Not an akuma. Not danger.
Just voices.
Below, Luka and Chat Noir stood near the Seine, talking.
Nothing about the scene was dramatic.
But something in it hurt.
Luka had that same soft expression he always wore—like he was listening to the real version of you, even if you didn't know what that meant.
And Chat Noir… he looked calm. Different.
Lighter.
Ladybug felt something twist in her chest.
She didn't know if it was jealousy.
Or guilt.
Or confusion.
But she left before either of them noticed her.
The next day, Marinette found herself walking with Kagami after school—something that was happening more and more lately.
They weren't close, exactly. But there was a rhythm forming.
Kagami broke the silence first. "You're distracted."
Marinette laughed, fake and airy. "Me? Nooo."
"You think you're fooling people," Kagami said, looking straight ahead. "You're not."
Marinette deflated. "…It's Adrien. It's always Adrien."
Kagami nodded once. "And Luka?"
Marinette blinked. "What about him?"
"You've seen the way they look at each other. And you don't know what to do with that."
"I don't want to do anything with it!" Marinette burst. "I'm just—figuring things out!"
"Control," Kagami said softly. "Is a comforting illusion."
"…Is this how you talk to all your friends?"
"You are the only one I have right now."
Marinette paused. Then… smiled.
"Well. Guess you're stuck with me, huh?"
Kagami almost—almost—smiled back.
"I've had worse."